Dracula Epilogue Quincey Morris' Letter
by Michael Davidov
Summary: The finalisation of the book Dracula by Bram Stoker. Also, the story tells a short journey of professor Van Helsing and the other heroes of the book to Texas, the birthplace of Quincey Morris. The story bridges between the events of the book and the Castl
1. Every horror has a end

_Before you read the story, please read these guidelines:_

_ 1) This is a fanfiction about the book "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, and on the Castlevania sage. This means I do not hold the rights for any of the characters or names in it._

_2) Since the book "Dracula" was not finished right on my opinion, this is an epilogue, a direct continuation from the point the book has stopped.  
THIS ALSO MEANS THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK. So if you haven't read the book, there is a chance this will probably ruin it for you, or you will not understand what is going on in the story._

_3) The story, in its second part, is related to the Castlevania sage (and game  
series). You do not have to know the sage to understand the story, as I will explain everything clearly. However, if you do know this series well, the story might be more interesting to you.  
_

CHAPTER XXVII

MINA HARKER'S JOURNAL

6 November.-

….

….

Mr Morris, who had sunk to the ground, leaned on his elbow, holding his hand pressed to his side; the blood still gushed through his fingers. I flew to him, for the Holy circle did not keep me back; so did the two doctors. Jonathan knelt behind him and the wounded man laid back his head on his shoulder. With a sigh he took, with a feeble effort, my hand in that of his own which was unstained. He must have seen the anguish of my heart in my face, for he smiled at me and said:-

'I am only too happy to have been of any service! **_Here.' he leant forward and took some paper scroll out of his pocket. 'Please, deliver this letter.'_**

**_Dr Van Helsing took the letter, now red with blood, from Quincey's hand and nodded_**.

'Oh, God!' he cried suddenly, struggling up to a sitting posture and pointing to me, 'it was worth this to die! Look! look!'

The sun was now right down upon the mountain top, and the red gleams fell upon my face, so that it was bathed in rosy light. With one impulse the men sank on their knees, and a deep and earnest 'Amen' broke from all as their eyes followed the pointing of his finger as the dying man spoke:-

'Now God be thanked that all has not been in vain! See! The snow is not more stainless than her forehead! The curse has passed away!'

And, to our bitter grief, with a smile and silence, he died, a gallant gentleman.

DR SEWARD'S DIARY

**7 November**.-

It is hard to believe all our horrors are over! We are all in grief because of the death of our so dear friend. Now we are on the way back to Bistritz, and from there back to Bucharest and Varna. Quincey's body is covered in our carriage. Lord Godalming vowed to organize the most respected funeral to Quincey once we return to London, but the Professor objected.

'I am once again grateful for your generosity, friend Arthur. And I also know what a good friend he was to you.' he said. 'But the body of poor, brave Morris must be laid to rest as soon as possible. The dead do not like to be carried great distances. If it be his fate to die here, he should be buried here as well. '

Arthur did not argue with him, although I could see he did not like the idea of his best friend being buried in this wild land. I did not understand what was on Van Helsing's mind either, but I knew from the past experience his decisions are very well thought, and even if they seem at first unusual, in the end it always turns out that they were the right ones.

Mina and Harker are in good moods. Mina fully recovered- the scar on her forehead is gone, and so is the bite mark on her neck. Her teeth returned to their normal shape, too. Never the less, she is still quite pale, thin and weak. She needs to eat more to regain her strength. I am sure she will be alright.

The weather is very cold, and it is snowing. Good thing that the Professor purchased many warm coats, so we do not have to suffer the cold.

**8 November, afternoon**.-

Arrived at Bistritz in the morning to-day. There was here a big surprise for us, that when we came, and the people of the town noticed our presence, and accepted us with great joy and cheers.

When Harker asked them for the reason of their happiness, one of them who knew German very slightly, explained that the people of the city heard that 'some strangers' were chasing the Count, and two days ago a snowstorm started, very early for the season, and a great swarm, maybe hundreds of wolves surrounded the town, as if controlled by some evil force. But as the wolves were just a minute close to reaching the town, the storm suddenly ceased and the wolves drew back.

As if frightened by something, the wolves retreated back to the mountains. Only one reason could be for such a sudden change- the wolves were no longer in the Count's possession. So the town people were sure we destroyed the monster, the vampire.

When Jonathan told the man his conjuncture was correct, he cheered and the townspeople were shining with gratitude. A few women started kissing our hands, and the men were greeting us in different tongues, in response to what we could do nothing than shake our heads and smile. After a few minutes, a big, short man arrived; he claimed he is the town duke, and invited us into his own house to have a lunch with him.

We could not refuse, not only out of respect, but also because were genuinely hungry and tired from the long journey down the mountains.

The lunch was brought to us by many a man, each peasant has given what he could for us, together with many kinds of small presents. We did not refuse to receive any, because those so nice people would accept that the wrong way. The land-duke knew German quite well, and listened attentively as Jonathan was telling him how we banished Dracula. His face filled with grief when he heard about the death of Morris, and when Harker finished the tale, he stood up and declared:-

'You dear gentlemen from the faraway land have ridden us from the curse we ourselves could not fight. We were doomed to be as slaves to him, but we are finally free. Please, allow us to keep the body of your friend. The least we can do to pay you back is to make him a great funeral. Here he shall always be remembered as a hero.'

'The decision is yours to take, Lord Godalming.' Whispered the Professor in response to Arthur's questionable look. Arthur rose up, and with a look of honor I will never forget, said:-

'Now I know the meaning of your words, oh wise professor. What a fool I was! In England Quincey could be buried as a good man, an honorable man, who lived his short, yet satisfactory adventurous life. But here, in this beautiful land of legends and superstition, he would be buried as a hero, a fearless knight who traveled long miles to save the lives and souls of men from a wicked evil… Yes, he shall be buried here. This is what he would have wanted.'

MINA HARKER'S JOURNAL

**8 November, evening**.-

The villagers here are so nice to us. Fair women of all ages do not stop bringing us food and gifts, and I feel very uncomfortable with such generosity from those people, who have nothing and yet are ready to give it all. I think they sense my inconvenience, because the older of them told me:- 'Do not be shy, lovely lady, for all these little gifts and much more are yours, you deserve them for you defeated the Nosferatu who enslaved us and our souls.'

I assume we she was right, we did deserve much after such a long and terrifying adventure we shall never forget.

Arthur and Van Helsing encountered another problem they forgot about: There were none Catholic priests in Bistritz or anywhere in the region. The land-duke offered to send one of his men to Bucharest, where such a priest might be found. Art accepted the polite offer, but the Professor rejected it, claiming it could take days, even weeks, to bring a priest from Bucharest.

'Professor, I learned to never argue with your decisions, as they are always so wise.' Arthur replied after his rejection, 'But why, please tell me why you would take the honor of being buried by a Catholic priest away from Quincey?'

I could see it was a hard moment for the clever old man, and he had to take a deep breath before answering.

'Because… Because, my friend and Lord, I learned in these months I spent with you something so great, so important. I finally reached a conclusion. If the Un-Dead cannot see the difference between an Orthodox cross and a Catholic one… Why should we see it? Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox… All are equal in the eyes of God.'

We were all so shaken by Van Helsing's remark, we suddenly all became silent and could not say a word for a few moments. I was not able help a tear running off my eye. I cannot believe we needed to go through such a hard experience only to understand the truth that was there, just before our eyes…

Arthur spoke first. 'Do whatever you wish, sir. I am only a servant of a grand mind as yours. I, the lord, bow before your wisdom.'

'No, my son and brother, you should not. My wisdom is all yours, for you, young men, I spent my life gathering it. What do I need it for? I am but an elderly man, and my life is worth nothing anymore. Never the less, I am a teacher, and my duty is to pass my wisdom to my pupils; those are you, my friends. And you, in your turn, shall pass it to your pupils, your children, and so on and on. So, today is late. If we are decided, let us order to begin the preparations. The funeral would be held to-morrow.'

So now, that I sit in a comfortable bed, in the room which was prepared for me and Jonathan, I finish writing, and go to sleep. I have a feeling tonight sleep will be pleasant, for the first time in weeks.

**9 November, afternoon:**-

The funeral was held early in the morning. A maiden knocked at the door, and awakened me and Jonathan, saying we should hurry because the burial ceremony is about to begin. We dressed up and prepared very quickly, and met Arthur, the Professor, and Seward all dressed and ready, waiting for us outside the house where we spent the night.

'Hope you had a good sleep, Madam Mina.' -the professor managed to keep his manners even in such a meaningful day.

'No dreams, but I feel as if I have not slept at all.'

'That only means you are recovering. You need much rest and feeding, but at least you managed to sleep without disturbance. Let us go.'

And so, we walked silently to the town's graveyard, where a large group of people gathered round. High in the sky, the sun was slowly climbing up from far away, beyond the horizon.

The funeral was like nothing I experienced before. All was so wild, so unlike what we were used to. A big group of peasants, dressed up in their national outfits, played on primitive wooden musical instruments. At the same time, the priest was reading Greek and Slavian prayers from his book, accompanied with deep shouts and cries from the crowd. All were murmuring the prayers and moving in a rhythmic motion. This all was so strange, but I felt as if I was hypnotized, sucked into that almost barbaric burial ceremony. I think that my companions felt the same, because they were so concentrated on the ritual, that they could not move, nor say a word.

What I felt at the moment was a mixture of many different feelings- pain, loss, pride, harmony, fear and purify…

The heart of the ceremony came when four young men lifted Quincey's coffin, and dropped it inside the big pit in the ground. The priest was reading his prayer even faster and louder now. None could hold tears running from his eyes as the pit was quickly being filled with snowy ground.

Jonathan hugged me and held me tight when he saw I started shaking and losing my balance. His strong hold gave a feeling of warmth, so I could be calm again.

When the ground covered the pit completely, the ceremony finally was coming to an end. A large group of strong peasants moved a huge rock to the place where only a minute ago the pit was. When it was on its place, the priest ceased reading.

An engraver with some simple tools walked over to the huge headstone and started carving words on it. The sun was already high in the sky, reflected by the snow in a dance of light…

'What is he writing on it?' I wondered.

'Does it even matter now?' Arthur replied immediately. His voice was quiet. I could see his spirit was broken. John put his arm on Arthur's shoulder and looked deep in his eyes. The always clam professor whispered to him: 'I hope you do not regret your choice, milord.'

'I do not.'

The burial ceremony ended hours ago, and now all our things are packed and a new carriage is ready for us, together with a charioteer who will accompany us to Bucharest. Arthur tried to explain the duke that we do not require one, but he explained that we will not we able to find our way in the snow, and besides that, the ways are much more dangerous in the winter, especially for a man who does not know the region well.

I finish writing now, as we are soon departing.


	2. The truth revealead

CHAPTER XXVIII

JONATHAN HARKER'S JOURNAL

**13 November, evening**.-

We are on the train back to Paris, and will arrive there shortly. I would like to use this chance to conclude this cursed journal, where I have been keeping my most gruesome of my fears for months. The count is defeated- destroyed, and nothing more can stand between me and my darling Mina. How much damage he caused? God knows what he was been doing in London that we do not know of. Van Helsing said that even if there were undead that we did not destroy, they are no more, now that they have no master.

Before I say 'fin', however, I need to tell of the discussion our company had today with Professor Abraham.

At noon the train stopped at a station, so we had time to have lunch in a nice small restaurant and enjoy the beauty of the French province. After that, we returned to the train, and some time after it started Van Helsing told us to gather round.

'Fellows, our journey has ended, and soon we shall part, each go to his own way. And yet, one secret has still not been revealed. It is that letter.'

And he took out Mr Morris' letter, folded twice, red and dirty now of dried blood.

'I will now open the letter and read it together with you.'

'Professor! You must not do so!' Lord Godalming interrupted him with much protest. 'Do you not precious his memory? We do not hold the right to read this!'

'I think you, his best friend and soul-mate, more than anyone else hold the right to read what he had to say before he died.'

'I… I do not wish to listen to this.' If there was any moment when Arthur insisted more on his noble behavior, this was the moment.

'I would not listen to that, either.' Dr Seward's mind was made. His heart was with Godalming. 'You are my mentor, you taught me everything I know, but I will not accept such unrespectful act of breaking into one's privacy.'

Suddenly Mina, who was sitting quietly, declared: - 'I am ready to listen.'

I looked in her face, and wished I knew what was on the mind of my dear one at that moment.

'I am staying also.' - I could not pick a side other than Mina's.

Jack and Art stood up from their seats and moved to another cab. For a few minutes we were sitting silently. Then I said: 'Are we about to begin?'

'Don't you want to wait until your fellows return?'

Surprised as I was by this remark, I understood what he meant when less than a minute later the two returned, and regained their places.

'If trusting you is a crime'- Godalming referred to the professor, 'Then I am now the biggest of criminals.'

The professor shook his head in response, opened the letter, and stated reading it to us aloud:

QUINCEY MORRIS' LETTER

_**Whoever finds this letter, please send it to Texas, USA, and make sure it reaches the hands of Rachel Morris, or Rachel Owens, what ever her name now is. **_

_**Rachel! If you received this letter, this means I am no longer among the living. I have given a terrible oath, that if I remain alive after all this ends; I will burn this letter, and return to Texas as soon as find a ship heading there from London. **_

_**But I am only in the hands of God now, and I do not know what will be my fate, so I write this letter. **_

**_If you only knew what I went through in the last half year! I am now so far away, in the heart of a wild land. I stand before a great danger. And this all is a punishment, a punishment from God for my sins… You do not know how much I regret that I ever left you and my son. There is nothing I wish more than to be with you now, in Texas, in that heaven you call home._**

_**How much time has passed since I abandoned you? Five years? Because it seems like a whole eternity has passed. **_

_**What a coward I was! I, who feared nothing and no one on this earth, ran without any shame from such simple things as happiness, as love! **_

_**Yes, I sinned, Rachel. I sinned, forgetting about you, forgetting about my child, about the life I had in Texas. I started a new life in England, made new friends, gained a small fortune. My heart betrayed me, and I fell in love with a young lady from London. I thank the Lord that her heart belonged to another, so He prevented me from committing a more terrible sin. How unworthy I am of the friends I gained through those years, and yet… If only you knew them. Each and every one of them is gold. Their hearts are the purest and the bravest I had a chance to know. They all are here in Transylvania, the land where the Devil spreads his claws, as I write these words. Together with me they share the danger, the pain, the horror. **_

_**Do you remember the evil Count, the powerful Vampire I told you once about? The one my family was fighting throughout centuries? Yes. God chose to punish me through the hands of the monster. It killed the lady my heart wished for, and other women as well. He wants to spread chaos across the earth. **_

**_But I will not let him! No, not while my fist can hold a sword, and the blood of a Belmont runs in my veins! I will die, if that be needed, and only to stop that monster._**

_**I am finishing this letter, my darling Rachel, because the hunt shall soon begin.**_

_**Again I say, if you have received this letter, then I am dead. Please don't cry, our love could never live. **_

_**One thing, only one I will ask of you- please, forgive me. I made a terrible mistake and from all my heart I regret it. But it is now too late, fate has been decided. **_

_**Forgive me; please do not tell young John that his father was heartless man. Tell him he was a good man, but a coward. A warrior who won all his battles, but would not accept his reward, because he feared that when there will be no more battles for him to fight, his life would become meaningless. **_

_**Loving you now more than ever, Quincey Morris. **_

_**October 30. **_

We could not speak after Van Helsing finished reading the letter. We were all too shocked from the content of it.

'This is too terrible to be true… Quincey had a wife and a child in Texas, and he never even told us!' Lord Godalming's response was just. I could understand him; Quincey was his best friend for five years, how could he hide such a thing from him?

'It is true'- Seward added, 'He never told us much about his life in Texas.'

'My friends.' The professor stood up and circled through our faces, 'It is not the time to discuss Mr Morris and his previous life. There are too many questions that rise in my head from reading this. What stands now above all other commitments is delivering this letter to Madam Rachel Owens.'

'I will make sure the letter reaches its destination, professor.' Godalming responded.

'No, Arthur, I will deliver this letter myself. Madam Owens might be able to answer the questions that rise from this letter. What did he mean, by saying that Belmont blood runs in his veins? How could it be, that he told his wife about the Count many years before we discovered anything about him? Is that true that his family was indeed fighting Dracula for centuries? That fellow had known many things he would not tell us of. But why? We agreed not to hide anything from each other.'

'So you are preparing to sail to Texas, alone?' John sure did not seem satisfied from that idea.

'Yes, alone; that is, if none of you gives me the honor of keeping me company.'

Everybody realized that Van Helsing's answer was rather an offer than a remark. We looked at each other with questioning looks.

'Mina, I…' I whispered to her ear.

'I think you already had enough adventures for the rest of your life, hadn't you?'

I smiled. It was as if she read my mind.

'I have much work that I must finish in Britain, but… I must know the truth about Quincey.' The professor shook his head in agreement with Godalming's words.

'The work in the asylum can wait. Wherever you go, I go, professor!'

'Good. So it is decided. Jonathan and Madam Mina will stay in London, and the three of us will take a ship to the United States.'

I feel a bit sorry that I can not join the professor in his journey to the States, but now that there is no more a danger over my head and the heads of the dear to me, it is time for me to return to my regular life. So here I say:-

**_"End"_**


End file.
